Combination excavator and dredge



" e 5 pt 1-927 E. A. SPEEGLE COMBINATION EXCAVATOR AND DREDGE Filed April 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JyW Y L r 1 643,094

Sep 1927 E. A. SPEEGLE COMBINATION EXGAVATOR. AND DREDGE Filed April' 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FT- Q. 7 ,86

Z9 291 f7a9 as scrapers to carry the material upwardly through housing 17 and formed on the outer edges of these plates 29 are short outwardly projecting fingers 29 that are adapted to dig or bite into the loose material as the same is engaged and lifted by said plates and carried into and through the housing or chute 17. For the accommodation of these fingers 29, the bottom of the housing 17 is provided with longitudinally disposed grooves or channels 17 through which the fingers travel as the plates 29 move upwardly through the chute.

Any slack that occurs in the endless coir veyor may be taken up by adjustment of the bearings 2'-l that carry shaft 25.

Shaft let is positively driven from the motor truck or tractor by a sprocket chain 30 that passes around a sprocket wheel 31, the latter being fixed on said shaft 14 and the endless conveyor is driven from shaft Llby means of a sprocket chain that passes around a sprocket wheel 33. which latter is fixed on shaft 14, said sprocket chain also passing around a sprocket wheel 34c that is fixed on shaft 19 (see Fig. 3.)

("arried by the rear portion of the frame of the truck or tractor that is used for drawing my improved excavating apparatus a frame 35 that is disposed transversely be neath the forward portion of the frame 10 and arranged for operation within the bottom of this transversely disposed frame is an endless carrier 36 that operates on rollers 37, the latter being arranged at the ends of the frame. One of the rollers 37 is provided its end with a sprocket wheel 38, and passing around the latter is a sprocket chain that extends upwardly around the sprocket wheel alt). This sprocket wheel is carried on a shaft 41-1 that is journaled in suitable bear ings at the upper end of the main frame 10 of the excavator and said shaft being con nected by meshing beveled pinions +l2 with shaft 19.

The parts just described provide means for imparting movement to the endless belt or conveyor 36 that operates in the lower portion of frame and this frame is ar "anged so that it receives the material that discharges from the upper end of the chute or housing 17. Frame 35 and endless conveyor 36 extend a suitable distance away from one side of the machine and thus the mate rial that is excavated and elevated by my improved machine is discharged into a suitable receptacle or onto the ground to one side of the path of t avel of the apparatus.

Fixed to and depending from the underside of chute 17 and slightly to the rear of axle 11 is a series of cutting blades or colters 43 that are adapted to enter and pass through the ground or soil a short distance in front of the open lower end of chute 17. Depending from the rear portion of the f'ame 10 and between shafts 22 and 25 are brackets 4 and arranged between the lower ends thereof is a transversely disposed scraper 4:5.

Depending from the sides of frame 10 between the shafts 22 and, 25 are supports 1:0 to the lower ends of which are secured elongated colters or cutting blades 4:? that occupy inclined positions and the forward portions of these blades are curved upward and secured to the sides of chute 17 at the lower end thereof. Likewise the rear ends of these blades are curved upward. These side colters 47 are designed to enter the ground at the sides of the channel formed by the coltcrs -43 and scraper l5, thus delining the sides of the channel that is cut by the machine while in operation.

In some instances it may be found desirable to vibrate the machine vertically or to rock the same upon the axis n'ovided by the axle 11 and which viln'atory action materially increases the effectiveness of the colters in passing into and through the ground or material that being acted upon, and in order to bring about this vibratory movement a transversely disposed shaft lb journaled in the draw bars 15 and secured on said shaft is a sprocket wheel. 4:9 and a disk 50, which latter is provided with a series of apertures 51.

livotally connected to disk is the lower end of a link 52, the upper portion thereof carrying a pair of bolts 53 that are adapted to pass through a slot 5% that is formed in an upwardly projecting link 55, the upper end of the latter being pivotally connected to the upper portion of the frame it) of the machine.

Sprocket wheel 4-9 receives a sprocket chain 56 that is driven from a sprocket wheel mounted on the tractor that is used in operating the excavator and as this sprocket chain is operated, rotary motion will be imparted to shaft 48 and, as disk 50 is rotated, the connected links 52 and 55 will be reciprocated vertically. thereby in'iparting vertical vibratory or swinging movement to the frame of the excavator. The axis of this swinging movement is the axle let and as the lower portion of the machine vibrates vertically, the colters as and 47 will move through vertical arcs, thereby tending to cause said colters to move more readily through the material and such action will tend to cut weeds, vines, small brush, and the like, that may be encountered during the travel of the excavator.

The degree of vibratory movement may be controlled by adjusting the links 52 and upon each other, which adjustment is effected by the slot and bolt connections between said links, and when it is desired to operate the machine without imparting Vibratory movement thereto, sprocket chain 56 is disconnected from sprocket wheel 49 vating water from one level to another, and

and disk 50 is locked to one of the draw bars 15 by the insertion of a bolt 57 through an aperture in the draw bar and through one of the apertures 51. Inasmuch'as there is arteries of these apertures 51, the angular position of'the excavator relative to a horizontal plane may be adjusted for a limited distance.

In the operation of my improved excavator the machine is moved forward by a tractor or the like, and the colters 43 passing though the ground, thereby loosening the same so that it may be readily picked up by the transverse blades 29 of the conveyor as the latter passes beneath sprocket wheels 23 which are positioned directly behind the lowerocnd of chute 17 and above the scraper 45. The loose material is en gaged by the transverse members 29 of the conveyor and carried upwardly through chute l7 and discharged onto the apron or conveyor 36 in frame 35 and said material is carried to the side of the machine and discharged in a row that parallels the path of travel ofthe machine, or the ex? cavated ma terial may be discharged'into' a suitable receptacle. i The endless conveyor is 'driven from the tractor through sprocket chain 30, sprocket wheel 31, shaft 14, sprocket wheel 38, sprocket chain ,32Qsprocket Wheel 34, and shaft 19, that carries the sprocket wheels .20 at the upper end of the machine, and p the endless belt or apron 86 in frame 35 1s driven from shaft 19 through the beveled pinions a2, sprocket chain 39 and sprocket wheel 88 that is'arranged on the rear one of the rollers 87. y l I an excavator ofmy improved construction is comparatively simple, and may be advantageously employed for all excavating purposes, for the construction of ditches and drainage channels in subir1 "i, ;ation projects, for the removal of snow and ice from roadways, andffor dredging mud, gravel and water in mining operations.

Further, by elongating the apparatus, andv particularly the chute or housing 17, the

apparatus may be used to advantage in ele;

which operation is frequently employed in irrigation and mining operations.

It is to be understood that my invention in its particular construction may be used for any deslred purpose and that changes,

variations and modifications may be made in the size, form, and construction of the various parts of the apparatus as will fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an excavator a pair of horizontally disposed draw bars that are adapted to be connectedto a tractor, a shaft supported by said draw bars, a wheel-supported frame mounted for rocking movement on said shaft, an endless conveyor arranged for operation on said frame and a chute carried by said frame and arranged to be traversed by the under-running portion veyor. r

2. In an excavator of the class described a pair of horizontally disposed drawbars that are adapted to be connected to a tractor, a shaft supported by said drawbars, a wheel-supported frame mounted on said shaft, an open-ended inclined chute arranged beneath said frame, an endless conveyor mounted for operation on said frame with its under-running portion passing through said "chute, colters depending from the underside of said chute and a scraper arranged beneath said frame tothe rear of the lower open end of said chute.

3. In an excavator of the class describeda pair of horizontally disposed draw bars that are adapted to be connected to a tractor, a shaft supported by said draw bars,

a wheel-supported frame mounted on said shaft, an open-ended inclined chute ara ranged beneath said frame, an endless conveyor mounted for operation on said frame EMANUEL A. SPEEGLE.

of said con- Ill: 

